Erasing device



May 1, 1951 R. F. SHEA ETAL ERASING DEVICE Filed June 16, 1945 INVENTORS RICHARD F SHEA VERNON C. BAR/VE7'7' ATTORNEY Patented May 1, 1951 ERASING DEVICE Richard F. Shea and Vernon C. Barnett, San Diego, Calif.

Application June 16, 1945, Serial No. 599,814

1 Claim. 1

Our inventionrelates to erasing devices, particularly holders for rubber erasers employed in connection with typewriters, and its objects are to provide an accessible nesting rest for erasers from which they may readily be withdrawn for use as required and to which they may easily be returned and confined when such use has ceased; to furnish an extensible and retractable means for securing the eraser to said rest, and of preventing such eraser from being lost or detached therefrom; to construct said rest so as readily to be attached or detached to or from the base, or body, of a typewriter or other object near or adjacent to the matter to which the eraser is to be applied; to permit the extension or retraction means to be locked to the extent desired and readily to be unlocked as occasion may require; to allow the ready attachment or detachment of various types of eraser to said rest; to accomplish the ready and practicable assembly of the rubber eraser and parts of the holder and the taking apart of the same for replacement, and in general to simplify and render mor effective the operation of the several parts. These and other objects will appear from the drawing and as hereinafter set forth and described.

Attention is hereby directed to the drawing, illustrating a preferred form of our invention, in which similar numerals of designation refer to similar parts throughout the several views, and in which,

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of our improved eraser holder showing the same attached to the side of a conventional typewriter, the eraser being shown in nested and retracted position;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing the box of our improved holder partially broken away and disclosing the coil spring, drum and cord wound thereon, partition between, sliding lock, and eraser attached to outer end of said cord;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the box as shown in Fig. 2, the front face thereof being shown entirely removed, and the convolutions of the coiled spring and cord being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the hub and key slot to which the inner end of the coil spring is attached, and the drum or spool to which said hub is welded or secured, the said hub and drum being shown removed from the box for the purpose of better illustration Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the hub and drum attached thereto shown in Fig. 4, the adjacent walls of the box being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 6 is a side and end view of the sleeve or bearing for the screw threaded shaft upon which said hub and drum rotate, and

Fig. 'I is a side elevation of the partition in the box separating the coil spring and the drum.

Referring to the drawing, within the box or casing 8, is shown installed the drum or spool 9 carrying the hub I0 upon which is mounted the coil spring II, the inner end of which engages with the key slot l2 in the wall of said hub and the outer end of which is bent backward to engage with the adjacent edge of the wall of said box. Extending through and engaging with threaded openings in the central portions of the larger side walls of said box is the threaded shaft I3, which inside of said box is journalled within the bearing I4, upon which are rotatably mounted the drum 9 and the hub Ill, welded together or otherwise firmly secured; the winding or unwinding of the said spring I I operating in the manner well understood in the art yieldably to rotate the said hub and drum. Secured to said drum and around the annular face thereof, as shown in the drawing, is wound a length of the cord I5, which extends upwardly through the opening I6 and which by reason of said spring connection is made releasably extensible and retractable. Preferably, within said box 8, we introduce between the inner side of the coils of the spring II and the adjacent wall of the drum 9, the partition I'I, having the opening I8 which straddles the hub I6 and permits close connection of said adjacent parts. To the outer end of said cord is removably secured the eraser I9, which may be in any form suitable for the purpose.

In order that the cord 15 may be made secure from retraction when said eraser is extended for ordinary use, we prefer to supply our box 8 with the sliding lock 20, which as here shown is in the form of an elongated strip having a screw 2i secured to the top portion of one end thereof, the shank of which screw engages and slides in the elongated slot 22 formed in the top of the box 8; an arcuate or curved recess 23 formed in the lower face of said strip 2!! serving upon being slid longitudinally to make wedging contact with the periphery of said drum and to lock the same against further rotation. In order that such locking contact may readily be brought about, we provide at the other end of said strip 20, the opening 24 through which upwardly extends as shown the cord I5; which cord upon being drawn to one side as shown in dotted lines, serves to slide the inclined surface of the recess 23 into said wedging contact with the drum 9 and to prevent rotation thereof. If desired, the box 8 may be secured to the side or other part of the typewriter, in connection with which the eraser is to be used; or said box may be secured to any other article of furniture convenient for the purpose, or may even be used separate therefrom.

By the use of the word cord as used in the claim, we desire to be understood as including not only the form of cord shown in the drawing, but also any form of string, tape, rope, thread, strip or line-which coulcl be used for the same purpose.

Our invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment, as above set forth, is therefore to be considered in all respects-as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of our invention being indicated by the appendedclairn 11ather than by the above description, and all changes which come within themeaning and range of equivalency of the claim-are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is:

An erasing device comprising a box, a spring actuated drum mounted to rotate releasably therein, said drum having an attached cord adapted to carry an eraser on the f-ree'end thereof, and adapted to be wound around said drum against the spring rotation so produced, and a sliding lock or brake, comprising an elongated strip formed with a curved recess in its lower face and slidably mounted upon the inner Wall of the top of said box, the wall of said recess being positioned to make wedging contact with the,pe1 iphery of, .said drum and to lock the same against rotation, and means for effecting said locking wedging contact through the pull of said cord.

RICHARD F. SHEA.

VERNON C. BARNETT.

REFERENCES CITED The followingreferences are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 324,724 Petersen M Aug. 18, 1885 ;327,492 .Zagst Julyy31, 1906 1,208,424 .wedell Dec. 12, 1916 1,540,429 Shipley June 2, 1925 1,880,705 ;Bitner .Oct. 4. 19.32 

